Text Size

WELCOME TO THE PRO REPORT, your final policy wrap for the week. If you live in the District, take advantage of some awesome free happenings this weekend. Embassy Day is tomorrow, so if you’re not glued to the Kentucky Derby, Pro Report recommends the open house at the Iraqi Embassy — which for the past two years dished out pita, lamb and hummus to some great Middle Eastern tunes. Also: free yoga on the National Mall on Sunday to celebrate D.C. Yoga Week. See ya there. Send policy news here: rbade@politico.com. Or tweet me @RachaelMBade and follow @POLITICOPro.

TODAY’S BIG POLICY NEWS

1.) ANOTHER OBAMACARE REPEAL VOTE. In case anyone was in doubt about where Republicans stand on the issue, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) today announced he will bring a full repeal to the floor in the “near future.” Never mind that the bill has zero chance of becoming law, and that the House has taken this vote a handful of times already.

-- Why now? Could it be because of House leadership’s recent health legislation embarrassment? Probably.Pro’s Jennifer Haberkorn explains:“The announcement of a repeal vote comes after Cantor’s failed efforts to pass a bill to eliminate some of the health law’s prevention funding to expand the law’s high-risk insurance pools. The push resulted in complaints from the rank and file that Cantor was trying to expand Obama’s health care law, not starve it." Cantor is expected to bring the bill up again; maybe he’ll have better luck once Republicans get the repeal vote out of their systems. Still, it’s risky for the party, Haberkorn continues: "House Republican insiders say that Cantor’s move to vote again on repealing the law comes with risks. It looks, again, like the GOP that says it’s trying to soften its image is stuck on repealing a law that has no chance of being taken down.” http://politi.co/135R0LE

2.) JOBS NUMBERS BETTER THAN EXPECTED. Friday’s employment statistics might have eased fears that sequestration would immediately tank the economy, but they also showed the continuation of the tortoise-like speed of economic recovery. The economy added 165,000 jobs in April, dipping the unemployment rate from 7.6 percent to 7.5 percent. That’s better news than many were expecting. Economists had forecasted about 145,000 new positions, but with Wednesday’s worse-than-anticipated ADP private employment numbers, many lowered even those expectations. Other good news: The report also revised job numbers for March from 88,000 to 138,000, and February from 268,000 to 332,000.

-- Still, economists say sequester’s economic fallout has yet to come, as our MJ Lee reports. The CBO, for instance, says cuts could lead to 750,000 fewer jobs this year and scale back economic growth by 0.6 percent.http://politi.co/13Ryplk

A BUCKEYE SORT OF WEEKEND. President Barack Obama on Sunday, which is Cinco de Mayo, gives the commencement speech at The Ohio State University graduation.

ALSO THIS WEEKEND: The NRA hosts its 142nd annual conference in Houston, just a couple of weeks after notching a Senate victory and blocking the bipartisan background-checks bill. Follow James Hohmann, who is covering the conference for POLITICO. Here’s who you’ll see: tea party darling and former vice presidential contender Sarah Palin, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Sen. Ted Cruz and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. More than 70,000 people are expected, according to the LA Times (http://lat.ms/1079DcJ).

RELATED: BIDEN COOKING UP HIS OWN GUN PLANS. But apparently hasn’t told his boss, reports our Reid J. Epstein. “He is planning even more travel, with trips around the country to stump for a renewed push on expanded background checks and gun-trafficking laws that failed to pass the Senate last month. But Biden volunteered that he ‘hasn’t really discussed’ his plans with President Barack Obama and plans to lead the gun control charge on his own, according to two law enforcement officials who attended the meeting.” http://politi.co/124l5c2

HOT TICKET NEXT WEEK: IMMIGRATION MOVES. The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday will mark-up the much-awaited bipartisan immigration overhaul. But before that, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Tuesday holds the microscope to border security aspects of the bill. In light of the Boston bombings, some Republicans have expressed concern that immigration reform could unravel U.S. security; panel aides say the hearing is to address those fears.

HOT TICKET X2: SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT TO ADDRESS CONGRESS. President Park Geun-hye will speak at a joint-session on Wednesday. This is a big moment for the Korean leader — an opportunity for her to present the case for even stronger U.S.-Korean relations in the face of that bullish northern neighbor.

CHAMBERS NEXT WEEK —

SENATE ONLINE SALES TAX, THEN WATER BILL. The upper chamber on Monday is expected to pass legislation allowing states to force out-of-state online retailers to collect Internet sales taxes. Then, it’s on to a massive water infrastructure bill.

HOUSE TAKES UP DEBT PRIORITIZATION BILL. The so-called default-deniers will get a crack at a vote for the first time. The House next week will consider a bill to allow the Treasury to borrow money, even in excess of the debt ceiling, in order to make interest payments on debt obligations. The bill, called the Full Faith and Credit Act, represents the opening shot in the upcoming fight over the debt ceiling, which will be reinstated in mid-May. House Republicans argue that the legislation will allow the government to avoid “technical default” by forcing the government to continue paying debt bills in the case of a government shutdown. But the Treasury Department has brushed away the idea, saying any missed bills will throw financial markets for a loop.

HOUSE’S MAY SCHEDULE: Cantor today forwarded lawmakers the schedule for the next three weeks. Here’s some of what they’ll consider, per the memo:

-- Keystone XL oil pipeline approval, which would speed up review of the project. “The Obama administration is preventing the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, a $7 billion infrastructure project estimated to produce at least 120,000 Jobs,” Cantor writes. Of note: The State Department says it will only create about 42,000 temporary jobs.

-- SEC cost-benefit analysis bill, which would require the agency to calculate both before writing regulations. Cantor says it will "hold the SEC accountable so that business can be assured of more certainty and less red tape." Democrats will call this an attempt to stop-block regulations.

FARM BILL SHENANIGANS. Get ready for those 12-hour farm-bill markups, 100-plus amendments strong. The House and Senate will take up the huge packet in the coming weeks, and POLITICO’s David Rogers today gives a preview: “If hens are given enough room to stretch their wings and scratch, what will the sows be demanding next? That’s the barnyard buzz these days with farm bill markups starting soon in Congress and the prospect that new national standards for egg production will be added to the mix. Under pressure from producers at home, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) is leaning strongly in that direction, judging from talks between her top staff and agriculture lobbyists Tuesday.” http://politi.co/18AP39t

ALSO BREAKING ON PRO TODAY --

DEMS VYING FOR MARKEY’S POST. As far as Reps. Peter DeFazio and Raul Grijalva are concerned, Rep. Ed Markey has already left the building — and they want his top seat on the Natural Resources Committee. Markey is the Democratic contender for State Secretary John Kerry’s Senate seat. POLITICO’s Jake Sherman: “[B]oth blasted out letters to Democratic chiefs of staff Friday. Even though the Democrats are in the minority, a committee ranking membership means more staff, more campaign money and more power. It’s no wonder that there’s drama brewing already.” http://politi.co/YsUKXZ

WEAPONS, PERSONNEL TO SEE CUTS AT DOD? Pro’s Austin Wright intercepted a copy of the Defense Department’s request to fix internal budget shortfalls, which is due in Congress soon. Your “big losers”? Weapons programs and personnel accounts. “The request would transfer billions of dollars this fiscal year from procurement and development programs to help shore up major shortfalls in the military’s operations and maintenance accounts, along with nearly $1 billion in unplanned costs associated with transporting troops, food and equipment into and out of Afghanistan." http://politico.pro/18ir7KG

SCHUMER’S CONFESSION. Obama might have promised that his health overhaul would save families about $2,500 on insurance premiums. But Sen. Chuck Schumer today joined the chorus of Democrats saying — well — maybe not. Jennifer Haberkorn: “When asked by Rochester, N.Y., news station WHEC about whether insurance rates are going up because of the health law, he said, ‘It’s in part because of Obamacare, but health care costs have been going up in double digits for years and years and years.’” http://politico.pro/121qodr

APPLE DEBT BUYBACK DIGGING UP TAX QUESTIONS. Steven Sloan for Pros: “Apple’s decision to issue new debt — rather than tapping billions of dollars in offshore profits — to help repurchase some of its shares is reviving the politically fraught debate over how global companies should be taxed. ... Republicans and advocates for some of the largest U.S. companies say that Apple’s move is a perfect example of how the convoluted tax code leads to perverse incentives in corporate boardrooms — and could ultimately cost American jobs. They are pushing for a shift to a system in which virtually all profits generated by U.S. companies in other countries wouldn’t be subject to taxation here.” http://politico.pro/138VSyx

NON-POLICY NEWS IN 79 WORDS: About 50 people were massacred in a Sunni village in Syria. … Google recognized “Palestine.” … Disney announced that it will no longer manufacture products in Bangladesh, following the building collapse tragedy that has killed 500 known people so far. … New reports find that a simple finger test can detect heart disease years in advance. … And, a Greek politician took a swing at a political rival only to miss and punch a 12-year-old girl in the face.

ON TAP MONDAY: Former President Bill Clinton will field questions from reporters at two panels Monday for the Clinton Foundation’s Clinton Health Matters Initiative, where he’ll talk prescription drug abuse, and the Clinton Global Initiative, where he’ll host a mid-year meeting.

POLICY AROUND THE WEB:

-- Obama puts the blame of violence in Mexico on U.S. guns. The Real Clear Politics story leads Drudge Report this afternoon. http://bit.ly/124CktF

-- Don’t expect furloughs at the State Department. The foreign affairs management office Friday said sequester would only nix $400 million from the budget — which is less than half of what was originally anticipated, AP reports. http://nyti.ms/107QPtY